Franciscan Health breaks ground on new Lafayette cancer center

Margaret Christopherson, Lafayette Journal & Courier
·2 min read
Tom Parent, Chairperson, Franciscan Alliance Western Indiana Board of Directors, Jon Gilmore, President and CEO, Tonn and Blank Construction, Terry Wilson, President and CEO, Franciscan Alliance Western Indiana, Sister M. Aline Shultz, Board of Trustees, Franciscan Alliance, John Dennis, Mayor of the City of the West Lafayette, Most Reverend Timothy L. Doherty, Bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette- in Indiana, and Tony Roswarski, Mayor of the City of Lafayette break ground for Franciscan Health Cancer Center in Lafayette's newest expansion.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Ground was broken on the new Franciscan Health Cancer Center Lafayette Thursday morning. This three-story, 68,000-square-foot facility will bring together existing services into one state-of-the-art facility on the Franciscan Health Lafayette East campus.

The Franciscan Health Foundation Board of Directors recently launched a $3.2 million community campaign to raise funds for this facility, according to a release from Franciscan Health. This new center will provide the upmost care to its patience in Tippecanoe County and beyond.

"This (groundbreaking) is for a comprehensive cancer center on our Lafayette East campus," Terry Wilson, president and CEO of Franciscan Health in Wester Indiana, said. "The building's about three stories, about 70,000-square-feet. It will house various pieces of our cancer program that are now spread across this campus in two or three or four different places and our Unity partners' campus next door."

The consolidation of these services will allow for easier communication amongst physicians as well as expanded opportunities for research and physician recruitment.

"It's already helped us to recruit," Wilson said, "because we've been able to say to recruits 'This is what's coming in terms of cancer treatment at this campus.'

"Something that doesn't get talked about a lot but it's important – when you make a commitment like this, when you raise the volume of patients you treat, now you have access research programs and being able to participate in research programs. And that's always a benefit to patients, doctors and the community."

The new cancer center will be built outside of the North entrance of Franciscan Health Lafayette East Campus. Additional parking space has already been built to account for the parking areas that this new structure will take up, according to Wilson.

The first patients in this new cancer center are expected to be seen within the first quarter of 2024.

Margaret Christopherson is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email her at mchristopherson@jconline.com and follow her on Twitter @MargaretJC2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Franciscan Health breaks ground on new Lafayette cancer center